1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program which detect an external apparatus and execute processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, many information processing apparatuses are connected to networks and can be used and managed from remote places across networks. For example, printers and digital multi-functional peripherals (MFPs) of CANON incorporated, a Web server and a Web application called “REMOTE UI” allows Web browsers to connect to the Web server and use or manage the apparatus from remote places. By using this function, managers or users manage or use an information processing apparatus from various nodes on a network more often than before.
Also, in recent years, portable information terminals such as cell phones and PDAs incorporating non-contact type IC chips have become popular. Information processing systems using these portable information terminals instead of ID cards for user authentication are also known. That is, the user can operate an information processing apparatus such as a copying machine by performing user authentication by only holding up a portable information terminal over the copying machine. This obviates the conventional cumbersome operation of entering a user ID and password from the operation panel of the copying machine, thereby further improving convenience.
Furthermore, many portable information terminals have a network connecting function, so a system in which the information processing apparatus described above is used or managed from a Web browser, dedicated application, or the like, operating on a portable information terminal is proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-240550 has disclosed a system in which a printer or the like is operated by using a portable information terminal.
Unfortunately, an information processing apparatus generally stores a large amount of secret information. To enable a remote operation across a network, therefore, it is necessary to limit access by determining whether to permit a remote operation by the user. For example, when conference materials are loaded into an information processing apparatus, it is desirable to allow only the attendees at the conference to perform operations such as browsing, printing out, and transmission of the conference materials. Conventionally, therefore, the user sets a password for all data of the conference materials, and notifies the attendees of the conference of the password. In this case, the user must specify conference materials and attendees for each conference and manage the correspondence of the conference materials to the attendees, resulting in a cumbersome operation. The user must also manage the attendees in order to specify them.